


Or Else Let Her Be Mine and Mine Alone

by LizzyLovesPink



Category: Code:Realize ～創世の姫君～ | Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth (Visual Novel)
Genre: Cardia and Finis never had a wedding CG and I'm salty over it, Christmas Scene, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Lime-ish Scene, Long One-Shot, Scene of Illness, Sibling Incest, Slow Burn, Title taken from a Disney song that really fits Finis and his thoughts on Cardia, Twist-Ending, but aside from that no actual sexual content, lovechildren, oh well enjoy my trash anyway, wedding scene, why is the first thing I post on this site an incest fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 16:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18237272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzyLovesPink/pseuds/LizzyLovesPink
Summary: She was a monster, he was a doll. She was a doll, he was a monster.The two siblings run off to Wales and decide to start over together, living in their old manor. However, perhaps that wasn't the best idea in hindsight, as Finis soon finds himself struggling with dangerous feelings for Cardia. Feelings he knows she'll never return; she likely wouldn't even forgive him for everything he had done to her up to that point. Yet Cardia soon finds herself struggling with the same feelings and against all odds, the twins try their best to make it work.After all, it was a crazy idea, and being crazy suited dolls like them.Also posted on FanFiction.net





	Or Else Let Her Be Mine and Mine Alone

She looked so beautiful when she was asleep. Her hair fell softly in waves on the pillow and her chest slowly moved up and down with her breath. She had on a long and frilly white nightgown that resembled the dress she normally wore. There was no real need for her to wear it; he figured it was just for the memories. Why she would want to remember such things was beyond him, and it disgusted him. Still, to each their own, he supposed.

He wondered what kind of dreams she was having. He hoped they were all good dreams, sweet dreams, and happy dreams. He cringed slightly and eventually left the room, not wanting her to wake up and ask if he was watching her sleep.

But then again, his older sister wouldn't ask that. Not Cardia. She was a sweet and gentle soul, very trustworthy. It was both her greatest strength and greatest weakness.

He walked into the kitchen and looked at the clock above the stove, finding it to be five in the morning. She would wake up soon and would want breakfast. He could prepare some for her. He hadn't cooked in a while, but he could make something simple. He looked down at his suit and winced, already picturing it getting dirty. He looked around for something to cover it with and looked in the storage closet, finding a lacy pink apron hanging up alongside some cleaning supplies. He took the apron off the hook and carefully tied it around himself, adjusting it slightly.

As Finis walked back into the kitchen, he stared at the apron, not liking how girly it was. He wondered if it was the same apron his mother used to wear when she was helping out around the house with the servants, or preparing a secret treat for the the two.

He figured he would start out by making eggs and toast, something simple even he could manage, he figured. He found eggs and bread in the icebox, as well as some other ingredients he'd need and got to work. He started to cook the breakfast, slowly cracking the eggs in the bowl. As he worked, he found himself musing over the idea of even making breakfast for Cardia, only to scold himself for thinking such thoughts.

He was being nice to her. That was what siblings did, right? Did nice things for each other? He remembered their childhood quite vividly, or at least more than he assumed Cardia had, and he couldn't remember ever doing anything nice for her.

"Finis? What are you making?" Cardia's sleepy voice reached his ears, and he blushed slightly and straightened, returning his focus on the food. The eggs were nearly done, but he hadn't even started on the toast yet.

"Just some breakfast," He said simply, still focusing on the eggs. Really, he wanted to look anywhere except her. She didn't make it easy on him, however, when she shuffled over and leaned in to watch him.

"You are probably a really good cook. It smells wonderful and I bet it'll taste even better," She gave him a cheerful smile. Despite having just woken up, not a single hair was out of place on her head, nor was her dress ruffled. She truly was a goddess, a doll, a perfect creation.

A monster.

"I learned to cook on my own. Since Father often left me alone for long periods at a time, I had to. I learned how to do many things on my own," He explained quietly, wincing. Were the wounds still too fresh to mention Isaac?

"Oh." Cardia said simply, nodding. "Shall I set the table? In fact, I think I'll do just that," She said to herself, walking over to the cupboard and pulling it open, getting out two plates, glasses, and silverware sets. She neatly arranged them across the kitchen table from each other; a white vase and a small picture in the middle of the table. She then sat down silently at her own spot, watching as Finis finished up the eggs and toast and served himself. After a moment of thought, he placed some on Cardia's plate as well, sitting down across from her. "It looks so good!" She praised again, very happy. She started to eat while making happy conversation with Finis as he ate. He mostly nodded or shook his head in response to her.

After he finished eating, he placed both of the empty plates in the sink.

"What would you like to do today?" He finally asked after some time of silence, making Cardia look up.

"Well, we've been here for the past few months, but....we haven't really cleaned it up, have we? Made it all livable and homey. We should spend our time doing that today," She suggested with a smile, standing up from the table. Finis nodded.

It was true; after the two had run off and hid themselves from the outside world, they had been so concerned with the hiding part that cleaning their old childhood home was never a concern. But Finis could see it now, all of the dust and dirt that had built up over the years of being unused. And then there was the basement.

He hoped they could save that part for last.

"Let's clean out the parlor first!" She suggested, running into the parlor and looking around. "It's pretty dusty,"

"It is. Aren't you forgetting something?" Finis reminded her, untying the apron and hanging it back up and instead pulling out a bunch of cleaning supplies from the closet. "Do you know how to clean?" He shouldn't have been surprised when she shook her head. When had she ever had to learn? He gently thrust a feather duster into her hands. "You can dust things like shelves. I'll do the sweeping,"

She nodded in understanding and started to work, singing happily to herself as she dusted. There weren't very many books or knick-knacks on the shelves she'd have to move, not anymore, anyway. As she did that, Finis made himself busy by sweeping the floor, keeping an eye out and getting into the tighter corners.

Yet he kept finding himself distracted by her movement. The way her skirt quietly swished around her figure, the sweetness of her singing voice, her chest slowly moving in and out with her breathing, and her faint smell of flowers. She was absolutely beautiful. She would make a wonderful wife and a doting mother. She was already an ethereal sister, too beautiful to be described. But Finis could never make her his. Not after what Isaac forced him to do to her, not after what Isaac had done to his own body. He had ruined all of Cardia's chances of living a normal life, and he felt a small twinge of guilt at that. She didn't deserve him, she didn't deserve to be locked up in an old cottage all day, she deserved an actual husband and a loving man, one who would dote on her and spoil her endlessly.

"Are you finished sweeping?" She asked nicely, shocking Finis out of his thoughts. He nodded a bit.

"In here at least. But I'm going to check the other rooms," He informed her, already starting to leave. He hadn't swept the dirt out of the house yet, but he figured he could do that later. He just needed to get away from Cardia for now. Her scent suddenly seemed heavy in the air, as if he were choking. He retreated into his bedroom, sweeping in there. He then swept in Cardia's room and the kitchen before combining all of the dirt piles into one large one, then opening the front door and vigorously pushing all of the dirt outside, closing the door again. He placed the broom away, sighing. Cardia hurried over and hung the feather duster back up.

"I finished dusting! Do you think I did a good job?" She asked curiously, and Finis took a look at the shelves she was in charge of, running his gloved fingers across it. His fingers came out clean, so he nodded. "I'm so happy! I was worried I would make a mistake since it was my first time and all..." She walked into the kitchen and picked the picture on the table up, staring at it.

It was a routine she had developed recently, and Finis had grown used to it. It was an old picture he himself had, of their parents and the two of them when they were young, being held in their parents' laps. The two were really eager and were trying to play with each other while their parents struggled to keep hold of them, laughing. They looked normal in that picture. Most of all, they looked....happy. Just by looking at that picture, nobody could tell their father was a crazed mad scientist, who experimented on his own children in some sort of wild attempt to make the world end. Sometimes Finis regretted holding onto that picture as long as he had, but after seeing how Cardia went to it as a source of comfort, a small part of him didn't regret it. She needed it more than he did, after all.

She finally set the picture down. "So we finished cleaning today, hm?" She asked, adjusting her skirt. They would have to find some new clothes soon; less conspicuous ones. While he did enjoy the protection his own suit gave him from the elements, he also knew only he dressed in that specific way and if they ever wanted to assimilate into society, they would need to look a lot less obvious. And, well, normal.

"Did you want to continue?" He asked. Everything was up to her, after all. Older siblings were supposed to dictate what their younger siblings did and Cardia fulfilled that role for him well.

Cardia thought about it. "I suppose we could mop, but then we'd have to stay off the floors for a long time. Maybe.....hmmmm..." She continued thinking. "I'd suggest dishes, but we just have ours from breakfast. And no laundry to do...." She glanced at the door near the door to the parlor, the one that was slightly darker than the other doors. "What's down there?"

"You don't remember? That was Father's personal la-room. We were never allowed down there. If we even leaned against the door, we got punished severely." Finis explained, remembering the lashes vividly. Cardia never was as punished as severely as he was, but she would still get a slap on the wrist if she was caught nosing around there.

"I don't remember. But...if it was Father's, maybe we should look around? Maybe he left us something!" She suggested, her eyes lighting up. She was already opening the door, walking down the stairs. Finis hurried after her, feeling shivers run down his body the further down they went. The place gave him bad memories. He prayed none of Isaac's experiments still remained down there, none of those failed experiments he kept destroying and reanimating over and over again in some insane circle of creation and death.

Cardia coughed slightly as the extremely dusty air hit her, covering her mouth. It was very dark down there, the only light coming from a dully glowing green lamp. Cardia walked over to it and gently picked it up, walking around to light up the rest of the room. "It seems so....empty," She commented.

Empty was good. Empty was better than it being full.

"Maybe we could fill it with something," He suggested after a few minutes, finally finding his voice. "Whatever you wanted."

She was silent for a moment, looking at her feet. "Maybe...we could build a lab down here." She turned around to face him, a serious look in her eyes. "You said you were a scientist, right? Maybe....we could do some experiments. Just general stuff. It didn't have to have any real reason..." Her eyes were firmly focused on the floor; her voice was barely above a whisper.

 

His eyes widened and he nearly back into the stairs and fell over at her suggestion. Experiment? Experiment on what? Themselves? Her friends? Random passerby? And for what? Continuing Isaac's sick legacy? Cardia was no longer poisonous, so she surely wasn't referring to that.

Perhaps....perhaps...she was referring to finding a way to curing their immortality, one of the many side effects left behind by their powers? Finis didn't mind the enhanced strength, durability, or speed his father had given him, and he knew Cardia didn't either. But to live forever...

It was one of the only things that wasn't taken away when they joined their bodies together, if anything, it seemed to have only enhanced. But if they got rid of their immortality, then, maybe, she could live a normal life, the one she deserved.

"I think I could do it, but you would have to help me. For obvious reasons." He finally agreed, and she smiled.

"I wouldn't mind helping! I think I have some of it figured out already. I watched Franny-kun in his lab a lot when he made special things for me. So I think I have a grasp on it,"

It was the first time in three months she had spoke out-loud the name of one of her old friends. Not for any personal reason of her own, they just never came up in their usual conversations. Finis knew they probably despised her now, for running off with her pursuer and then vanishing off the planet. A part of him felt bad for her. She was a social butterfly. One person could only entertain her for so long. At some point, he would make it a mission to find out what happened to them. For Big Sister, he told himself.

Cardia set the lamp back down on the metal table; once silver but now rusted. "What did Father keep down here?" She asked curiously.

"His...." Finis hesitated. "His experiments." Though it seems that after Cardia, he had destroyed all of the other attempts and erased all evidence of a lab having ever been there. Finis would've been jealous if he wasn't mostly relieved. He was glad those vile things were gone from existence.

She was silent again, taking in the room once again before heading back up the stairs. Finis followed after her and spent the rest of the day mopping up the floors and making food for himself. Cardia spent her day outside, sitting out on the little bench and taking in the pleasant breeze. She looked so lovely sitting out there.

When it was time for bed, she came back inside and disappeared into her room. She was like a beautiful, mysterious ghost.

############

The next morning after breakfast, he suggested the two of them finally go out and get some new clothes. Cardia balked slightly at the idea, but finally nodded.

"It would be good to get out and see the city! And we've been out of the loop for so long...." She sighed. "But why can't we continue wearing these? They protect us from the poison in my body," She then flinched slightly. "I-I'm sorry...I'm still not used to the thought of not being toxic anymore,"

"I know." Finis said simply. She hadn't eaten any of her breakfast this morning, which was unusual for her. He assumed she just had a lot on her mind.

After they made sure everything in their house was in order, Finis locked the front door and pocketed the key, knowing with how complex his outfit was it would take any potential thieves too long to find it. He then walked ahead of her, suddenly feeling awkward.

But why? He could walk into the city, find a clothing store, and buy some new clothes for him and her. It wasn't anything impossible. He had some leftover money saved up, as well as anything Cardia came across as they cleaned. He hoped that money was still acceptable.

As they walked, Cardia was by his side, fluffing out her skirt and talking politely about everything that she saw. Unlike before, the grass didn't rot at her steps, only bent at her weight. Finis took that as a good sign.

They walked for a bit until they reached the small city far from their cottage; it involved traversing through a forest and crossing several bridges before it was finally visible. Despite the early hour, it was bustling, but nobody paid them much attention.

"Can you read any of the signs?" Cardia asked curiously. Most of the street and shop signs were written in Welsh, not English, but Finis nodded anyway. He remembered many of the stores from his childhood and was just going to use his memory as a guide. He wandered around for a bit, finally finding the clothing store wedged inbetween a hat shop, a drug store, and a dessert shop. What a weird mixture of stores, he thought. He gently pulled on Cardia's wrist to get her attention, quickly pulling away when she looked over at him.

"There's the clothing store." He said, and she nodded, perking up. She hurried inside, Finis following.

The owner of the shop, and the seamstress too, Finis assumed, was a young and cheery young woman with sunshine yellow hair and dark blue eyes. She was working on some needlework when they walked in, but instantly jumped up and folded her hands in front of her when they approached the counter.

"Morning, sweethearts. Do you require my assistance?" She spoke very formal English with an accent; a local.

"Yes. My sister and I would like to get fitted for some new outfits today." Finis said calmly, closing his eyes. "As you can see, we aren't from around here and would like to blend in better,"

"Oh, certainly! You have come to the right place!" The woman said happily, looking a bit too excited at the idea of getting foreign money. Though at the end of the day, he supposed it hardly mattered as long as they did what they came here to do. "How about I do you first since your sister will take longer?" She continued, motioning to him.

He nodded and glanced back at Cardia to make sure she was alright, only to find her gushing over some of the selections already on display. He can tell she longed to touch them, not just with her hands, but on her body, to feel the silk and cotton and satin move and breath with her body, slowly and quietly swishing around like her regular dress often did.

The woman led Finis into a changing room and brought in a few samples for him to look at. "Which one suits your fancy the most?" She asked, spreading them all out on a table. Finis studied them, trying to pick one that was practical. He didn't care much for fashion, though he supposed if Cardia picked something really fancy, he'd have to get at least one nice thing as well to match. They were, after all, nobles. Isaac dying luckily didn't change that.

"That one," He pointed to a tan coloured suit that was striped in shades of dark brown. It had a lot of frills and ruffles to it, but it still seemed like something that would be easy to move around in, not to mention the colours chosen reminded him of a chocolate cake.

"Good choice! Anything else?"

Finis looked around a bit more, not really seeing anything else he wanted. Did he really need very many clothes anyway? He supposed he would need a winter coat for when the weather got colder, and perhaps a pair of pajamas, but that was it. He didn't consider himself to be very 'fashionable' and thought having excessive amounts of outfits was ludicrous. He pointed to the huge white coat that was also brought out, the tan pair of pajamas, and a suit in a lighter shade of mint green for the warmer weather. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest to indicate he was done. The woman nodded eagerly.

"What lovely choices you have made! If you will let me get your measurements.." She pulled out a tape measure and pulled out Finis' arms, making him pose. She then started to measure his height and chest, as well as his head for one of the hats. She then stepped back. "Very good! Now I will do your sister!" She stepped out of the dressing room and Finis followed after her, finding Cardia with several gowns in her arms. She blushed heavily at the seamstress giggling at her. Finis shot her an annoyed glare but said nothing more.

Cardia went into her own separate dressing room to get measured while Finis wandered around the store, idly looking at various outfits. Most were extremely flouncy and lacy; so many frills it seemed impossible to move. How impracticable and outrageous.

A blush formed on his cheeks when he realized he had just been fantasizing about Cardia wearing such dresses earlier and shook his head to rid himself of that thought. If his dumb older sister wanted to endanger her life by wearing such deathtraps, then it wasn't his place to judge. He would only care if she started to complain about it.

"Finis! I cannot decide if this looks good on me...will you take a look and help me decide?" Her voice reached his ears, and he turned around in annoyance. His breath caught in his throat.

She stepped out in a bright pink dress with white trim and a red rose pinned to the front. The dress was very loose near the bottom and fanned out to reveal white and pink lace, along with a large pink bow in the back. The dress had long sleeves and reminded Finis of an old Renaissance-era gown.

"Why are you asking me a question like that, Big Sister? I don't care about fashion. It might look hideous on you and I would still say it looks fine." He huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest again.

"Finis..."

"Do you like it?"

She nodded eagerly, placing her hands on each side of the skirt.

"Then get it." He turned away. "I'm going outside to get some fresh air. Come get me when you're done," He then left the store, ignoring Cardia's weak protest. He knew she wouldn't come after him until she was finished gushing over her stupid dresses.

He walked outside and leaned against the side of the building, crossing his arms in front of his chest. It was already quite warm outside, but he was hardly bothered by it. He was also barely bothered by the people who stared at him strangely and whispered about him being a foreigner. That was all-too familiar to him.

"Your eyes are really pretty!" A little girl gasped in amazement, staring at Finis. "You look like a doll! A pretty doll made from china, come to life!"

"Marianne! Don't be so rude!" The girl's mother scolded harshly, walking over and roughly grabbing her arm. "You cannot just walk up to people on the street and say such things!"

"But he really does look like a doll, Maman!" The girl pouted, being dragged away. Finis simply stared at the girl until her and her mother were out of sight.

He didn't really see what made him so 'doll-like', in that girl's opinion. His powers? Yes, they were very doll-like. But in terms of appearance, Cardia was a far superior doll than he could ever wish to be.

"I'm ready to go!" Cardia happily announced, dressed in her usual outfit. She walked over to Finis.

"You took long enough." He started walking ahead of her, wanting to hurry home. As they walked, they passed the dessert shop, which boasted large lollipops and gumdrops right in the window, enticing any passerby to come inside and look. Finis noticed one of the things on display was a large tray of petite-fours, all dressed in light green and pink colours. Each was topped with a strawberry.

"Look at the rock candy in there! Do you think it tastes good?" Cardia asked happily, looking into the window. She placed her gloved hands right on the glass, leaning in. "And there are lollipops, and gumdrops, and taffy...and some cakes too! Isn't that strange?" She looked back at Finis, who closed his eyes.

"I don't want any of that. It's really childish, to gush over candy like that," He nearly had to speak through his teeth since the petite-fours were making him start to drool. And he didn't want her to see that.

"We're not adults yet...we're still fairly young..." She stated. "I'm still going to go inside and take a look. You can stay out here, if you want," Cardia marched right inside the store, closing the door quietly. Finis straightened himself up and tried to focus on something else, but soon the colourful shapes inside the window grew too distracting for him and he walked inside, somehow managing to keep his composure.

There was a small bell over the door that rung cheerfully when he walked inside. A few children were there with their parents or caregivers, looking around eagerly. Cardia was staring at the display of cakes, all set out on the main counter. The signs were hastily written-out and described various types of chocolate, buttercream, strawberry, cherry, and orange cakes. She was also eagerly looking at the same plate of petite-fours that he was.

"I think they're...chocolate inside?" She asked when he came over, and he just nodded. "Let's get these. They're so cute and would go well with tea!"

"Whatever you want." Secretly, he was glad she wanted the same thing as him, but wasn't about to admit it. While she nervously talked to the shopkeeper about the dessert, he took a few lollipops and boxes of chocolates off the display shelf, handing those to Cardia as well. He then paid for them and watched as the shopkeeper wrapped everything up in a white bag, tying a green ribbon to it.

"I hope you enjoy!" They waved happily to Cardia, and she waved back just as happily.

Once they left the store, Finis pulled out one of the lollipops and stuck it inside his mouth, moving his tongue around on it. Cardia chuckled.

"What else should we get? Oh, let's go look in that hat shop! There might be some cute hats to match my dresses-!"

"We're going home." Finis glared at her, trying to look upset despite the stick in his mouth. She slowly nodded, keeping a tight grip on the dessert bag. She walked behind him, staring down at the ground. Nobody bothered the sullen twins as they walked back to their house. Finis unlocked the door and walked back inside. Cardia placed the desserts on the kitchen counter, leaving them in their bag.

"Our clothes will be ready in a few weeks!" She announced happily, having suddenly remembered that.

"Do you still remember the address of your friends' house? If you do, you could send them a letter," He said instead, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I do! That's a wonderful idea!" Cardia gasped, clasping her hands together. "Thank you for that, Finis!" She darted through the manor, soon finding their father's old study and pulling out some old sheets of paper, as well as a pen that still had some ink in it. She laid the sheets of paper down on the desk and sat down daintily, tapping the pen against her lips a bit as she tried to think of what to say. Finis watched her for a while before eventually leaving, tidying up the mansion some more.

Why was he so enthralled with her? It was starting to weird even himself out. Yet, it wasn't though he asked to have such a selfless, heartfelt, yet beautiful sister. That wasn't his choice at all.

"Would you like to write them something?" Cardia asked curiously, bringing Finis out of his thoughts. He stood there, staring at her, blinking, as she held the pen out to him.

 

"What could I possibly have to say to them?" He demanded, staring right back at her.

"I don't know. I just thought you'd like the opportunity," Cardia pouted slightly.

 

"They're your friends, not mine. I could care less about them,"

"Finis!" She promptly scolded. "Fine. Then would you please put away the desserts?"

 

"Fine." Finis stuck his tongue out at her the instant she turned her back, heading into the kitchen and putting away the desserts. He grumbled slightly to himself as he did so. Why did she have to be so....herself sometimes? She really got on his nerves.

Once he finished putting away the desserts, Cardia came back into the kitchen, clutching several letters to her chest. "I'm going to deliver these. You stay here. And...be good!"

Finis scoffed at that last part. "You're going into town? All by yourself?"

"I think I can handle it," Cardia nodded slowly, leaving the kitchen. Finis rolled his eyes at her, but didn't follow her. Instead, he took out some more cleaning supplies and continued to clean up the remainder of the house while she was gone. The house was slightly less dusty and dirty, but there was still a lot of work to be done on it.

########

Thus, the next few months was nothing but that. Cleaning up the house, and then fixing up all of the broken appliances and outside parts of the house. Cardia mainly left the heavy lifting and woodwork to Finis, feeling much more comfortable with cleaning or rearranging things. Finis initially scoffed at that, but then realized it was probably for the best. After all, with how horribly clumsy his sister was, who knew what kinds of disasters she would bring?

Eventually though, the house had been cleaned up and repaired; practically restored to its former glory. It was hard work doing upkeep when it was just two young teenagers living together, but they rarely went anywhere they didn't need to go in the house and mainly kept to themselves, not making any messes.

 

One day, Cardia followed Finis around the house nervously, her hands on her chest. He finally turned around after a few hours, staring her down. "What is it? What do you want?"

"Remember when I was younger? And I said that it was always a dream of mine to go see a real-life opera. Obviously, I never got the chance to. I was thinking that now, since we're all settled in and everything, maybe we could...." She suggested softly. Finis blushed lightly at that suggestion, scoffing at her.

 

"A night out at the opera? Those sorts of things are usually reserved for couples," He declined.

 

"I've seen families go before..." She whispered to herself.

 

"....Is this something you truly want?" He asked slowly, looking away from her. She nodded eagerly.

"Yes! As I've said, I've longed to go ever since I was younger. Oh, and can we dress up fancy? And sit near the front? Or in a balcony? And then, afterwards, perhaps we could get some cupcakes!" She gushed happily.

 

"I never agreed," Finis glared at her, sighing. "But fine. If that'll make you happy. But just know I'm only going for the cupcakes. I can arrange some tickets for us,"

 

"Really? Oh, thank you, Finis!" Cardia pulled him into a tight hug from behind, smiling. He blushed heavily in surprise, trying to wrestle out of her grip.

"Okay, okay, come on! You don't have to thank me so much!" He scolded, his face still blushy. Cardia giggled.

"I have to go pick out an outfit to wear!" She hurried from the room, Finis staring after her. He continued to blush as he thought of Cardia' different dresses she had collected, wondering which one she would ultimately end up wearing and how she would look in it. He then shook his head in annoyance, heading to their office to write a letter to someone.

His stupid pesky emotions. His stupid pesky care for her. And his stupid pesky self for allowing that care and affection to grow untamed into something unhealthy and illicit.

###

The night they were both due at the opera soon arrived a few weeks later, and true to his word, Finis had gotten them both tickets from an old servant of his; balcony seats since he figured Cardia would appreciate that. He was unfamiliar with opera etiquette, and was unable to find any books on the subject, so he just dressed in the tan-striped suit and hoped that it was formal enough. At the very least, he put a matching top-hat on his head with some white gloves, figuring that was fancy enough. He tugged at the collar slightly, finding himself already feeling uncomfortable. Did he get the wrong size? Or was he just-

No. There was no way he was sick with the anticipation of seeing Cardia's outfit. Whatever she wore, she'd just look gross in.

 

"How do I look? Is it...too fancy?" She asked shyly, finally coming into the parlor. She had put on an outfit Finis had never seen before, making his eyes widen as she came into the light. She had on a dark violet evening gown with a lacy collar that covered her neck. She wore black gloves and the dress hung on her, clinging tightly to her figure and spilling onto the floor. She wore a lacy white head-piece with it, as well as a black ribbon tied around her waist. Even the gloves themselves had several layers of fine, cream-and-white-coloured lace attached. Cardia ran her hands down her body, spinning around to show off the back of it. "It is, isn't it? That's why you're not saying anything,"

"I don't care about fashion, Big Sister. I have no idea what looks good on you and what doesn't, and what's...'fashionable'..." He hesitated, glaring at her. "Does it look good on you? You decide,"

 

"I....I wore this dress for you though..." Cardia admitted quietly, playing with the lace around her neck. Finis' face lit up in a blush as he took a closer look at the dress, how much it hugged her curves, how the colour was perfectly matched to her eyes to contrast, and in return, his eyes....

"Come on. we don't want to be late," Finis finally broke the silence, grabbing Cardia's wrist and walking with her out of the house. He felt his face heating up and cursed himself silently.

"Are we taking a carriage there?" Cardia asked nicely, likely to just make conversation.

"Yes. That servant has provided everything for us that we'll need," He gestured to the small black carriage with a gold decal that had just pulled up in front of their small house.

 

"We're not part of any noble family though...it just seems to be a bit excessive," She blushed beside herself as Finis helped her into the carriage, sitting down across from her.

 

"We are still part of the Beckford family, are we not? Tonight, we'll live like it," He commented, glancing out the window. Cardia nodded and sat up straighter, running her gloved hands on the soft green seat. The colour was a dark emerald, like Finis' eyes. And hers too. She recalled that one mission, seemingly years ago in the past at that point, when she accidentally caught the attention of the Queen as her and Lupin's group made their escape. The Queen smiled at her in a mysterious way and touched her face, proclaiming she resembled a doll with her pretty green eyes. And how she looked like Finis. At the time, she had been so traumatized and upset by the boy that she promptly cried out and pushed the Queen away from her, daring her to 'refer to that horrible man by name around me again!'

But that was in the past. Cardia gently touched one of her eyes. She could see the Queen hadn't been wrong in that regard. Their eyes were like mirrors of each other.

"Come on," Finis urged, helping Cardia out of her seat. She gasped a bit and nodded; having been so lost in thought she hadn't even realized they had stopped.

The opera was a bit lively though not as much as it would be during the holiday season. Cardia and Finis anxiously awaited their turn to go in, a guard at the door nodding at everyone who showed off their tickets.

"You two may be?" He asked gruffly, eyeing the twins. "Look a bit young to be here alone. May I speak to your parents?"

"Excuse you, sir, but we're the current heads of our family at the moment. Our mother has been dead for many years," Finis narrowed his eyes at the man, stepping in front of Cardia slightly.

"And your father?"

"On business." Finis pulled the tickets out of his suit pocket and handed them to the man, still frowning. "We are Mister and Madam Beckford,"

The man eyed the tickets carefully, stealing obvious glances at Finis. He finally sighed and stepped aside to let them in.

"Somehow, the tickets are genuine."

"I know some very good men," Finis smiled as him and Cardia walked inside, the man announcing their arrival in a booming voice.

"Mister and Madam Beckford!"

The two didn't waste anytime in hurrying inside the warmly-lit golden hallways, finding their way into the main auditorium and taking a balcony seat. A male servant arrived a few minutes later carrying a tray of different drinks.

"Are you sure this is alright?" Cardia asked nervously, eyeing the tray.

"I told you, my servant can provide us with anything we need. Stop worrying so much about the details, Big Sister," Finis rolled his eyes and took a champagne glass of pink strawberry lemonade from the tray, nodding to the servant. Cardia took one as well and held it awkwardly in her hand. The servant bowed and also unfolded a pair of opera glasses for Cardia before seemingly disappearing into the red curtains behind them.

The lights in the room dimmed and a large spotlight was shone on the stage as everyone begun to whisper quietly in anticipation for the show. Cardia awkwardly held the opera goggles up to her eyes, looking around at the other patrons instead of the stage. They were dressed so elegantly, far more than her. Her outfit wasn't too much..perhaps it was too little. She should've had the forethought to put on some kind of jewelry. Or a fancier hairpiece. Finis looked like he belonged, but she felt like some awkward child playing dressup.

The music begun to play, starting off quietly but soon building to a bombastic intro as the curtains slid open to reveal a young woman standing there, dressed in a large white ballgown coated in glittering jewels. One would think the silver of her hair would clash, but somehow it only accented it, done in its own glittering bun. She put her hand on her chest and begun to sing, a very melancholy-sounding voice poured from her.

"Do you know what the opera is about?" Cardia asked Finis curiously, quietly, as she used her goggles to focus on the singer instead. "She's so beautiful,"

 

"It's a retelling of Hannibal. You know, that play from Shakespeare," Finis whispered back to her, only now showing her the program he had received.

"Oh! Have you read Hannibal?" She asked curiously.

"A little bit of it," He rested his hand on his face, leaning back slightly.

"From the name...this doesn't look like anything Hannibal-related," She turned her attention back to the stage, which had been set up to look like a snowy dreamscape. She even saw a few fake Cupids painted on the back of the backdrop. And a unicorn!

"The main female lead is lamenting and dreaming over her lost love. It is just a nonsensical dream that she is having," Finis responded in disinterest. Cardia nodded as she continued to watch. Finis really seemed to have no interest in the play, but she did. She took dainty sips from her glass and leaned forward in her seat a bit, excitedly watching the opera.

The first act introduced the characters and showed Hannibal returning from his latest battle, bringing all sorts of glory and spoils. His admirer, played by the silver-haired woman, continued to gaze at him from afar, afraid of taking a chance and losing his mutual respect for her. The opera however mainly focused on Hannibal and his adventures, only sometimes tuning in to the plight of the love interest.

Cardia finished her strawberry lemonade as she watched, placing the empty glass in the holder beside her and awkwardly fumbling her hand around in the darkness. She found Finis' hand and blushed when she felt him squeeze hers. She tightened her grip on the glasses.

After an intermission, it was time for the second half, which was similar to the prologue of the opera; dreamy and heavenly. Most of it was in another language, which stumped Cardia.

"Is this Welsh?" She whispered curiously to Finis.

"No, it's German."

"Oh..." She commented, blinking. She returned her focus to the opera, smiling when the love interest finally decides to confess her love to Hannibal before he heads off to his next battle. He accepts her, they embrace, and then she gets stabbed in the back, crumpling onto the stage. Hannibal scooped up the deceased body of his love, holding her close to his figure as he glanced out over the audience, delivering a short eulogy in German.

The audience gave a tearful round of applause as the curtain fell and the cast bowed; even Cardia found herself sniffling.

"I thought that was such a beautiful love story!" She smiled at Finis. "I was surprised by how well I could relate to it," She neatly folded up the opera glasses and handed them back to the servant.

"I thought it was a huge disservice to the original. They made a lot of it too mushy," Finis complained, sticking out his tongue. Cardia giggled a bit and stood up, adjusting her outfit and brushing some dirt and dust off her skirt.

"I think we should hang out in the lobby for a bit. Who knows, maybe we'll meet that actress!" She suggested, already heading out. Finis sighed as he hurried after her, remaining close to her. Numerous people had already gathered in the lobby, holding glasses and chatting with each other. A few smiled at Cardia because of her looks, which made Finis deliver a glare back at them. He grabbed Cardia's wrist protectively.

"Good evening," A cheerful voice greeted them. Cardia smiled back at the owner; a silver-haired woman with an eyepatch over one eye. Weird, she didn't remember seeing that on-stage at all. "Did you two enjoy tonight's performance? It seemed as though you did,"

"We did! I thought it was very beautiful and romantic," Cardia beamed, clasping her hands together. The woman tilted her head slightly.

"Strange, I always considered it to be more of a tragedy. The risks of pining after someone like that..." She trailed off, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"True....love comes with many risks and oftentimes at a great cost, but it'll ultimately be worth nothing if you don't at least try!" Cardia declined, fire in her eyes. Finis blushed as he stared at her.

"Perhaps you're right. You speak as though you are an expert on the subject," The woman mused.

"I have had....many chances in my life to re-evaluate what love meant to me," Cardia curtsied politely. "I am Cardia Beckford. Madam Beckford for tonight, I'm told,"

"Cantarella. I am just an opera singer," She curtsied herself.

"What a beautiful name! Just like Cinderella," Cardia praised.

"Cinderella is an ugly name. Don't you know it was a nickname, stupid sister? She received the nickname because she passed out in fireplaces and awoke covered in cinders. Her stepsisters were insulting her," Finis suddenly spoke up, looking annoyed. "Seriously..."

"This is Mister Finis Beckford," Cardia introduced, amused. Cantarella curtsied to him as well.

"You both look very nice tonight, by the way. I am happy to have met the two of you." She folded her hands in front of herself politely and excused herself, walking off to talk to the next group of people she saw. Cardia continued to smile.

"She is such a nice person! I hope I get to see her again at some point," She praised.

"Can we have those cupcakes now, Big Sister?" Finis asked impatiently. Cardia nodded. "Enough with your delusions,"

"Is there even a bakery near here?" She asked as the two went back into the night. Despite being late summer, the night air had grown chilly with thousands of twinkling stars visible in the sky above them.

"Yes, I saw one," Finis took the lead, walking ahead of Cardia while she folded her hands politely in front of her.

"What about taking the carriage?"

"The carriage driver can wait. He can drive us home. I thought you'd appreciate a little romantic walk," He rolled his eyes at her. Why did his older sister have to be so difficult?

Several people stared at the twins as they walked past, wandering why such finely-dressed children were all by themselves.Cardia somehow managed to not pay any attention to them, but Finis blushed and scooted a bit closer to Cardia in embarrassment. How did she ever learn to be comfortable with so many people staring at her? Especially after being isolated for so long? He had been around people far longer than she had and he felt as though he would never get used to it.

Once they reached the bakery, Cardia walked in ahead of him and gazed at the display case, her eyes widening at all of the treats inside. "There's so many different kinds of cupcakes!"

"Y-Yeah!" Finis nodded slowly, blushing heavily. He forced himself to keep his cool, but surrounded by all of the cupcakes, it was fairly hard. "You can pick some for us,"

"Alright!" She nodded eagerly and ran her gloved hand along the glass, struggling to read the names of the cupcakes as they were written in Welsh. Finis noticed that and eventually sighed, walking over and pushing Cardia out of the way.

"Let me," He insisted, pointing to some chocolate cupcakes iced with pink vanilla swirl icing and topped with a big, fat strawberry. "How about those?"

"They look good!" she nodded excitedly, smiling nicely at the baker. "We'd like those please. Two," She held up her fingers to indicate that.

The baker nodded silently, taking out two medium-sized cupcakes and gently wrapping them up in light-green handkerchiefs. Finis pulled some money out of his suit pocket and handed it to the baker, who nodded again as he counted at the amount.

Cardia took the cupcakes from the baker and smiled again as she and Finis left the bakery, frowning a bit as she followed him through town over to the banks of a small river.

"I just think it'd be romantic....to eat as we walk beside a river, the lights of the city twinkling in the water....holding each other's hands," Cardia blushed a bit, making Finis smirk at her. "Ha, I made you think about something bad, didn't I?"

"I don't mind walking alongside the river," Cardia shook her head, handing a cupcake to Finis. She made sure to hand him the one with the biggest strawberry. "Let's go,"

She started to walk alongside the river, musing to herself about how the activity of the city seemed to die down quite a bit from their walk and time spent in the bakery. Or maybe it was just her imagination. She wasn't sure and found herself not caring for once. She took a bite out of her cupcake and felt her eyes widen at the explosion of chocolate that came from it.

"This tastes really good! How about yours?" She smiled, taking several more bites in a row. Food was still a marvel to her and even though she had eaten cupcakes before, it was still like the first time to her.

"Mine tastes good," Finis confirmed, nodding as he continued eating his. "These would be perfect with some strawberry lemonade,"

"You and your strawberry lemonade," She mused, feeling her shoes sink slightly into the squishy-soft mud of the bank. She stared down at the darkness slightly, worried about getting stuck. She anxiously pulled up part of her skirt slightly and continued to eat.

"It's the best drink on the planet!" Finis gasped in offense. "Are you implying something? That and sweet tea are the best. I'd drink those all the time if I could,"

"By sweet tea, are you referring to normal tea that you put several thousand lumps of sugar into?" She teased, smiling at him. The lights in the river reflected off his eyes.

"Like I said, it's the best kind of tea," He pouted, his cheeks puffed out. He looked away from her as he continued to eat his cupcake. She giggled.

"Oh, Finis..." The only noise came from the movement of the river, trickling around, and the faint hum of an airship passing overhead. She soon finished her cupcake, gently beginning to wipe her mouth off with the handkerchief provided to her when she was suddenly thrown down to the ground, making her gasp. "H-Huh?!" She tensed up; her fight-or-flight response starting to kick in. "Finis?!"

"Big Sister..." Finis sighed at her, but instead of his usual annoyed sighs, this one sounded more....wistful.

"Finis?" She blinked curiously, feeling the cool mud starting to seep into her hair and dress as she laid on the bank. Her dress sprawled out around her, revealing her black stockings and the thick boots she normally wore.

"Big Sister...." He grabbed her hands, pinning her down further. Her heart hammered in her chest. "I was always so jealous of your old friends. They all surrounded you like some mindless bees in a hive, only working for you because you were a queen. Nobody else ever got a chance to see you, or spend time with you," He moved closer to her.

"Finis," She responded in a firm tone. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing we can't hide," Still, his grip on her hands loosened. In the dark, he could make out her shifting her position slightly, making her dress fall out even more. He blushed at the sight of such a scandalous show of boot.

"Will you regret it?" She asked softly.

"No more than I already regret everything else," With that, he moved in even closer to her and planted a soft kiss on her lips, making her eyes widen in shock. He remained like that for several more seconds before finally pulling away, his whole face red and heated.

"F-Finis...!"

"You had some crumbs on you. Stupid Big Sister," He smiled weakly.

"I was wiping my mouth off-"

"You taste like strawberries and chocolate," With that, he finally stood up and dusted himself off; Cardia did the same, readjusting her dress.

"This thing is all muddy now...the back is soaked," She sighed.

"Nothing a wash can't fix," Finis rolled his eyes at her and started to walk back. "It's getting late. Let's go find that carriage,"

Cardia nodded and hurried after Finis, her lips tingling.

##########

"I really think we should learn Welsh. We haven't spoken it since we were children, and you know I still can't remember much," Cardia suggested one day after breakfast.

The very next day several textbooks and notebooks littered the kitchen table, providing them with everything they'd ever need to learn the language.

"Your servant?" Cardia guessed when she found Finis proudly smirking over the pile. He simply nodded and handed her a book.

"Even now, he remains my entirely loyal servant,"

#######

With the dawning of winter, Cardia finally received word from her old friends in the form of an invitation to a small Christmas party at their old manor. Her eyes widened happily as she read it, rushing into the study and waving it around. "Finis! Finis! Look! Read it!" She enthused. Finis finally set down his pen and rolled his eyes as he took it from her.

"This better be good," He scanned the invitation carefully after noticing the seal, frowning slightly. "A Christmas party, hm?"

"Yes! It would be a great way for all of us to reconnect. Staying there for a few days...plus we'd become less stir-crazy," She blushed a bit, thinking of that kiss they shared on the banks of the river, all those months ago.

"I'm not stir-crazy," Finis continued to frown. "And I don't really do that great in social situations,"

"Please Finis? You wouldn't even have to talk to anyone. You could just sit in the corner with Sisi or something," She continued, referring to the Corgi. Finis sighed again.

"Alright. But don't think I'm going because I care about you or anything like that!" He snapped, going back to his work. Cardia simply giggled.

"I wonder what we shall wear..."

######

Cardia and Finis packed a few clothes and other necessities to last them for a few days. Cardia wasn't sure if Lupin's group had any new clothes for her, so she decided to pack some of her own just in case. She closed the large buckles on her suitcase and awkwardly carried it outside, holding it out in front of her as she awaited the carriage sent to pick both of them up.

It had started to snow lightly as they packed, so now Cardia had bundled herself up in a heavy black gown that reached her ankles, embroidered with small purple flowers. She wore several petticoats underneath along with black stockings and heavy black boots with small purple bows on the back for decoration. Over all that was a long embroidered white coat with lacy lilac trim. She also had on a fluffy warm hat, black gloves, and a large muff covering her other hand.

"I hope it's snowing when we return to London!" Cardia smiled at Finis, dressed in a matching outfit to Cardia except with a black suit underneath his giant coat. He rolled his eyes a bit.

"You were always amused by the simplest things," He huffed.

"If Delacroix-kun is there, maybe the three of us could play in the snow together!"

"From what you've told me of him, that doesn't seem like an activity he'd like very much,"

"He's a sweetheart,"

A small blue carriage pulled up slowly to the manor, making Cardia perk up when Lupin stepped out and sweeped his arm dramatically in front of the door, bowing.

"The carriage has arrived for the lovely mademoiselle," He smiled, making Cardia giggle.

"Hi, Lupin-kun!" She greeted politely, curtsying the best she could before he helped her into the carriage. "I'm so excited! How has everyone been?"

"Shush, mademoiselle. There will be plenty of time to catch up later. After all, it'll be a long journey back to London," He made sure both twins were sitting comfortably, then shut the carriage door.

"He is too overdramatic. Who could like a guy with a passion for such theatrics?" Finis rolled his eyes.

"Lupin-kun can get a bit....overbearing, but that's just part of his charm," Cardia smiled nicely. "I can't believe how much I missed him!"

"Hmph," Finis huffed and started to look out the window.

Cardia sensed the change in mood and frowned a bit, gently reaching her hand over and putting it on Finis'. He blushed heavily and looked at her. She smiled at him.

"You'll get along with everyone just fine, I promise,"

#######

After a long journey, the trio had finally arrived in London and took another carriage to the large manor, which hadn't changed despite how long Cardia had been gone. She sighed a bit as she gathered up her suitcase and was led inside. It was snowing heavier outside and she smiled at that.

"I'm back, everyone! And I brought the guests of honor!" Lupin grinned a bit as he pulled his heavier cloak off and hung it up.

"Cardia-chan! You've returned to us!" Impey cheered happily, pulling Cardia into a huge hug. She gasped a bit in surprise.

"Impey-kun!"

"Come on, now, don't suffocate her. She just arrived, after all. Who knows, she might still be sick from her trip," Van-Helsing scolded a bit.

"Vanny-kun!"

"Do you like the decorations? Can you believe we've had these set up for the past few weeks now? It was Lupin-san's idea to plan ahead," Frankenstein smiled softly at her.

"Franny-kun!" She gasped again when Impey finally let go of her.

"It's almost as if you never left." Saint-Germain commented, walking into the room himself.

"Yes, Big Sister is very good at adapting," Finis responded simply.

"We're excited to have you," Frankenstein quickly added awkwardly. "Both of you."

"Now that we've all greeted each other...I have to get back to work!" Impey gasped, racing out of the parlor back into the kitchen.

"Ah, don't burn anything!" Frankenstein gasped, running after him.

"I'll see if the guest rooms are ready for you two," Van nodded, leaving the room himself, with Lupin following after him. The twins were left alone with Saint-Germain, who simply hummed and took a seat on the couch.

"Well, it seems the three of us are alone. Why don't we catch up?" He motioned to the matching blue chairs positioned in front of the couch.

"On what, exactly?" Finis frowned at him as he slowly took a seat. "Because I seem to very faintly remember you and your organization trying to kill Big Sister and I,"

"All in the past. You two didn't cause the end of the world, so I called off my forces," He commented.

"Finis and I have been living by ourselves for the past few months now, in our old childhood home in Wales. I don't think it was a decision made in good faith....we were both emotional and also knew we were wanted by several different people. So we ran off and never looked back," Cardia began slowly. Saint-Germain turned his attention to her, nodding.

"Just the two of you? No servants or anything?" He hummed again when Cardia nodded.

"That is why I agreed to visiting you guys. I not only missed everyone but was also worried about going stir-crazy,"

"Well, here you'll just go a different kind of crazy," Saint-Germain mused. "However, pardon me if this is rash, but...I cannot help but concern myself over what is happening with you two in that house. You are dearly beloved here, Cardia-chan, and it would be a shame indeed if something bad were to happen to you,"

"She's not moving back here," Finis immediately interjected. "She is perfectly fine...not to mention, happy, living with me,"

"I wasn't suggesting that. No, while our doors will forever be open to you whenever you wish, I wouldn't make such a request of you if you did not want it. Rather, I'd like to do a...check-in, of sorts. Just arrives from time to time and see how things are going. If I am too busy, someone like Hansel-san can come in my place," Saint-Germain continued.

Finis seemed to tense up at that name, but Cardia nodded. "I think that sounds like a lovely idea, Saint-Germain-san! With you, I'd feel a lot safer,"

Saint-Germain smiled coolly. "Wonderful. Glad we decided that, then."

"I heard voices! Who arrived?!" Delacroix asked loudly, bounding into the room with Sisi at his heels. He gasped in excitement when he recognized Cardia. "Cardia-san! It's you!"

"Dela-chan!" She smiled back at him as Sisi jumped into her lap, barking happily. "What a welcome wagon this has been,"

"And you're her brother, right? The others told me about you," Delacroix asked Finis curiously, staring him down. Finis stared back at him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Hopefully they didn't say anything bad. Of course, I can't see what sorts of bad things they'd have to say...I've never done anything bad!" He finally responded in a haughty tone.

"Finis, this is Sisi!" Cardia showed the Corgi off to Finis, who blushed a bit when Sisi jumped happily into his lap, barking. She giggled. "He might try and pester you for a treat,"

"Woof!" Sisi yipped, sniffing Finis curiously. His tail then wagged. "Woof-woof!"

Finis continued to blush, very slowly pulling off his black glove and patting Sisi's head, making the dog bark again. A very small smile formed on his face.

"H-He's very...soft. Like a stuffed animal..." Finis commented to himself in wonder. Cardia giggled.

"The guest rooms are all set-up, if you two would like to unpack and get more settled in," Van announced, walking back into the parlor. Cardia nodded and jumped up, picking her suitcase up off the floor.

"That's great news! Come on, Finis," She helped him up and followed Van down the hallway where the bedrooms were; Sisi following at their heels, yipping happily.

"Yours, and his," Van pointed to each one in turn.

"They're next to each other," Cardia noticed, pushing open her door and setting the brown suitcase down at the foot of her bed. Her bedroom had been painted a light, cheery blue, with an embroidered quilt set down on the small bed. Lots of stuffed animals were set up around the room, making Cardia wonder who this room was even meant for. With a sigh, she opened up her suitcase and neatly hung up all of her dresses and set down all of her shoes and toiletries, leaving her coat on for the time-being. She then headed back into the living room, smiling at Delacroix.

"Would you like to play in the snow with Finis and I?" She asked happily. Delacroix huffed slightly.

"That's not really something a proud vampire like myself would do...but I wouldn't mind seeing your brother get hit in the face with snowballs!" He finally smirked.

"Perfect! We could all make a snowman!" Cardia clasped her hands together and Finis came back into the room. "Finis! Dela-chan and I are going to play in the snow! Come join us!"

"W-Wait," Finis started to protest before Cardia grabbed his wrist and lead him outside of the manor, where a fresh blanket of snow had formed. The snow was coming down lighter at that point.

"Let's go make a snowman!" She announced eagerly, running around in the snow and starting to form a big ball in her hands. "I'll make the lower half,"

"Then I get the body! The biggest part!" Delacroix announced, not wishing to be outdone.

"Woof!" Sisi yipped.

"Then I get...the head...I suppose." Finis blushed as he watched Cardia form her snowball, keeping his focus on how her hands worked masterfully to smooth out any rough edges found in the ball. Her breasts looked a lot bigger in her coat than normally...

He shook his head and started forming a smaller ball of snow. What was wrong with him? He had been asking himself that question for months now and he still had no good answer.

Why did Cardia have to be so goddess-like?

If she were Aphrodite, he were Hephaestus.

"I finished the lower half!" Cardia announced, moving the finished ball to the middle of the yard, brushing her hands off with each other to rid them of the excess snow. "How is everyone else doing?"

Oh, right, he was supposed to be making the stupid snowman head. He stared at the medium-sized ball he currently had in his hands. He knew nothing about snowmen. This would be fine, right?

"Here," He held it out to her, and she giggled and motioned to the snowman.

"Let's wait for Dela-chan to finish his, then you can put yours on top!" She looked around, soon spying the young vampire dashing around, chasing after Sisi instead of working on the snowman. She sighed a bit. "Maybe we can just put yours on top now...after all, the head is already pretty large as it is!" She gently guided Finis' hands as she placed the head on top, making sure it was secure and wouldn't roll off. Her hands lingered on his longer than necessary and they both blushed.

"What else do you need for a snowman?" He asked, and Cardia thought about it.

"Coal for the eyes and mouth, a carrot for the nose, sticks for hands, buttons for the buttons, a scarf for the scarf, a top hat, and a pipe," She rattled off.

"We don't have all of those things!" Finis protested. "And even if we did, they inside won't let us borrow them,"

"They will if I'm asking!" Cardia reassured him. Still, she made no move to go inside, instead still standing there and staring at the snowman.

"Big Sister...." Finis frowned and spun Cardia around suddenly, making her dress blow all around her. He then stood on his tip-toes and kissed her gently, making the two of them blush heavily.

"Finis...you can't do that here..." She scolded softly. He kissed her again.

"I don't care. I want them to see. They already dislike me anyway," He pinched Cardia's wrist in annoyance.

"No, they don't Finis. Sure, you all had your disagreements in the past, some more than others, but we've all moved past that now. They accept you for who you are," She frowned, stepping closer to him.

"The only person I care about is you. Nobody else matters to me. So I don't care if they hate me. All I care about is...if you hate me," He kissed her again, and this time, Cardia surprised herself by kissing him back gently before putting her hands on his shoulders.

"I don't hate you." She reassured him softly.

##########

Cardia was woken up in the middle of the night by feeling a sudden change in weight in her bed, making her blush a bit. Her bed was far too small for two people...who snuck in with her?

"Franny-kun?" She tried, whispering into the darkness. The slim silvery moonlight streamed into the room. Cardia glanced down, finding the person in question to be snuggled up tightly in her blankets. "Impey-kun?" No, looked too small for him. "Lupin-kun? Dela-chan?"

She finally pulled the covers off and gasped, blushing.

"It's cold..." Finis grumbled softly in his sleep, rolling over onto his back. His hair had been taken down for sleep and instead replaced by a loose, long ponytail, and his pajamas were simple white silken ones.

"Finis, get out," She whispered, gently nudging him to try and wake him up. "My bed is too small,"

"I'm small too...." He mumbled, pulling the covers up over himself again. Cardia sighed.

"What if someone comes in here to wake us up tomorrow morning for Christmas and they see you?" She asked, which made Finis' eyes snap to attention as he sat up in bed.

"Don't say such scary things, Big Sister! Getting me all worked-up this late at night...stupid," He grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Cardia stifled her giggles. It was moments like these that reminded her that Finis truly was her younger brother. He even looked more like a grumpy preteen than anything else at this moment.

"It's the truth," She insisted. "Why can't you sleep in your own bed?"

"B-Because...." He blushed heavily, looking away from her. "I...I have trouble sleeping in new places,"

Cardia blinked.

"It's the truth! Don't laugh at me!" He huffed. "So...I thought that maybe....if I....stayed with you tonight, I'd...eventually be able to....fall asleep," His voice grew quieter and quieter with every word until it was barely above a whisper.

"Alright," Cardia finally relented, and Finis went right back to huddling under the covers, looking at her. "Just be quiet," She snuggled back into bed herself, blushing when she felt Finis wrap his arms around her.

"You're so soft and warm..." He mumbled sleepily.

Cardia laid there in silence for a few moments, stunned, before her own tiredness eventually took over and she fell asleep as well.

######

_"Let's play ball!" Cardia suggested happily, holding out a large spotted black ball. "It'll be fun! Let's kick it around!"_

_"I don't wanna," Finis pouted, looking away from her. The two were dressed in matching sailor outfits in light blue and white; a dress for Cardia and a suit for Finis._

_"Come on! It'll be fun!" Cardia continued to suggest, finally growing bored of her brother and setting the ball on the ground, kicking it really hard. She eagerly ran after it. "I'll go get it!"_

_Rebecca giggled a bit as she watched her children play. "Don't go too far!" She warned Cardia, sensing her about to run out of the yard. Cardia soon came running back, having retrieved the ball. She then started kicking it around, kicking it only a few feet away from her and darting after it._

_"That doesn't look like much fun," Finis sniffled, trying to adjust the crooked hat on his short hair. Rebecca giggled again._

_"Be nice to your sister. You two are twins, you know. When you two grow up, you are bound to be even closer than normal siblings are because of that," She gently scolded him. Finis pouted in response._

_"But I don't understand her!"_

_"Maybe you will when you're older,"_

_"Dinner is ready!" Isaac called from inside the house. Rebecca nodded and stood up, walking back inside._

_"Cardia! Come on inside, sweetheart! Dinner!" She called, and a few seconds later, Cardia bounced inside the house, a small blue bow tying back her chocolate curls._

_"What are we having tonight, Daddy?" Cardia asked curiously, sitting down next to Finis at the table. Rebecca set out their plates._

_"It'll be meat stew with rolls and salad," Isaac answered, already starting to serve them._

_"Awww!" Cardia pouted. "That's gross!"_

_"Yeah! I want dessert!" Finis echoed her whines._

_"Dessert is only for good children who eat all of their dinner without whining," Isaac warned the eight-year-olds sternly, frowning as he served them. Rebecca poured them their drinks, which made their eyes light up._

_"Look, strawberry lemonade! My favourite!" Cardia took a big sip of hers. Finis nodded in agreement._

_"I wanna drink it every single day for the rest of my life!" Finis took a sip of his. The children then started to eat their food slowly, starting with the roll since they knew it'd be the least awful part of the meal. As they ate, Isaac stared at them lovingly._

_"I have no idea what we did to deserve such beautiful children," He sighed to Rebecca._

_"Nothing, darling. They were gifted to us, and we should be thankful for them," Rebecca continued to eat. "After you two eat, it'll be bathtime and then bedtime!" She addressed the twins._

_"Can I take a bath with Big Sister?" Finis asked immediately. "I wanna splash her!"_

_"No, I'm gonna splash you!" Cardia shook her head, playfully pinching Finis._

_Rebecca laughed. "Yes, you two can take a bath together. I think it'll even be a bubblebath tonight, wouldn't that be fun?"_

_The children gasped in wonder and started to eat their food quickly, eager to take a bath together._

_Once they finished, Rebecca lead them into the bathroom while Isaac took care of the messy dishes left over from dinner. She gently helped them undress and filled the bath with warm water and bubbles, nudging them in._

_"Let me know if you need anything," She told the twins before gently closing the bathroom door._

_"There's so many bubbles!" Cardia giggled, gathering up a huge lathering of them and rubbing them throughout her hair. "I look like a bride princess!"_

_Finis giggled and rolled some bubbles around on his neck and arms. "I look like a groom! We're getting married!" He gasped happily. "Can I marry you, Big Sister! When we grow up, I wanna marry you!"_

_Cardia smiled. "Of course, Finis! I'd love to marry you!" The two laughed and continued to play in the bubbles, splashing each other and squealing. After half of the water in the tub had been splashed out, Rebecca finally came back inside and gently pulled them out of the tub, giggling as she wrapped them both in towels._

_"You both smell good, at least," She gently combed through their hair with her fingers and helped them get dressed in their matching white lacy nightgowns, tucking them into their joined bed._

_"Can you tell us a bedtime story, Mommy?" Cardia asked sweetly, and Rebecca nodded._

_"Of course, sweetheart. What kind of story would you like to hear?"_

_"One about a brave and heroic knight!" Finis piped up._

_"Who saved a beautiful and kind princess!" Cardia added. Rebecca laughed and nodded again._

_"Alright. In that case, I have the perfect story for you two,"_

__######_ _

__Cardia woke up the next morning when the bright yellow sunlight poured into her room, making her groan slightly as she shifted her position and covered her eyes. "Finis...wake up..." She poked him groggily, figuring it was Christmas morning already. "Let's go open our presents," She then gingerly got out of bed and stepped around him, pulling down her nightgown slightly to adjust it. It was a dust pink one with small flowers embroidered into the top. It was off-shoulder and went to her knees. It was both pretty and sexy all at the same time, and she loved wearing it in spite of its sexiness. She had her hair up in pigtails tied with small pink ribbons to keep her hair from getting tangled as she slept. "What do you think we got?"_ _

__"I don't know...but please stop with your hyperness so early in the morning. It's tiring, Big Sister," Finis grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Cardia turned to face him, pouting. He took notice of what she was wearing and blushed heavily._ _

__"Finis, answer me honestly. Do you love me? Not as a friend, not as a sibling, but as a lover?" She asked firmly, placing a hand on her vanity._ _

__"What kind of stupid question is that, Big Sister? I thought it was obvious we both disliked each other," He sputtered, trying to smirk at her._ _

__"You can't fool me anymore," Cardia continued to frown. She played with the straps of her nightgown._ _

__"Fine," Finis sighed. "Yes, I love you as both a brother and a lover. What of it?"_ _

__Cardia sighed. "Since when?"_ _

__"....."_ _

__"Finis."_ _

__"I don't really know, Big Sister. Literally as long as I can remember. Well, not when we were little and actually growing up together, but after...all that with Father. The more he spoke of you, the more obsessed I became as well and I slowly realized I was starting to fall in love with you. This perfect, mysterious, abnormal sister whom Father loved more than his life. With a description like that, is it really any wonder that I did?" Finis sighed. "But I still hate you,"_ _

__"Let's go see if the others have woken up yet," Cardia suggested instead, not bothering with a robe and heading out of her bedroom. Sisi yipped eagerly upon seeing her, and she bent down to give the Corgi a quick pet._ _

__"Cardia-chan!" Frankenstein smiled at her before blushing at her current state. "You're awake, huh? Everyone else is in the living room, waiting for you and Finis-chan. Uh, I was going to come wake you up,"_ _

__She smiled. "That's very sweet of you, Franny-kun," She scooped Sisi up and followed him into the living room, Finis' earlier words making her face flush and heart beat. "Finis..."_ _

__"The maid of honor herself!" Lupin beamed, motioning Cardia over to the large tree in a corner of the room. A dozen twinkling candles were placed on the top branches, while cranberries and coloured glass was strung up for the remainder. Lots of presents were placed underneath the tree, most for her from the others._ _

__She blushed even more as she found herself wondering if Finis got her anything and even anticipating the thought. Finis knew her better than any of the other guys in the room._ _

__"Here I am," Finis announced, walking into the room last. He took a seat next to Cardia, and Cardia sat down as well and set Sisi on the floor._ _

__"Well, let's get to it," Van nodded at the twins, and Cardia anxiously picked up the present closest to her, finding it one for her from Impey._ _

__"Hm?" She blinked curiously, pulling open the present and smiling when she found several blueprints and a pair of keys inside. "Airships!"_ _

__"Yeah! I remember you mentioned this fella was great at driving them, so I thought you guys would like to learn how to build your very own!" Impey smiled. "Consider it a gift for both of you!"_ _

__Cardia set it aside and opened up her next present, this one from Frankenstein. She smiled again when she found a field guide on flower species in Wales._ _

__"The next time you go for a walk back home, you can take that with you and identify all the different flowers," Frankenstein suggested._ _

__"Thank you!" she set it aside with her other presents, then glanced at Finis. "Oh, this one is for you. Why don't you open it?" she suggested, handing him a gift from Saint-Germain. He blushed a bit and nearly dropped it, but managed to recompose himself._ _

__"Hmph," He said simply, pulling open the box and shaking it out, making several copies of books fall out. His eyes widened in amazement. "Books! so many of them! H-How did you know-!"_ _

__Saint-Germain simply smiled. "I had an assumption that your shelf at home was severely lacking. So, I got you a few to get your collection started,"_ _

__"Hmph," Finis blushed, feeling annoyed he had lost his composure in front of everyone._ _

__"What books did you get?" Cardia asked eagerly._ _

__" _From the Earth to the Moon _, _Frankenstein _, _Dracula _, _The Full Arsene Lupin Collection _, _Grimm's Fairy-Tales _, _Robin Hood _, and _A Study in Scarlet, _" He read, blinking at the covers. "Hm.."_______________ _

________________"One of those things is not like the other," Lupin mused, making the others chuckle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"Thanks, I suppose," Finis grumbled, gently stacking the books up next to him. "But now, you have to open a present of mine, Big Sister,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"Oh, so you _did _give me a present!" Cardia felt her face heat up at the thought. "Where is it?"___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"It's this. Turn around," He demanded, and Cardia did indeed spin around and blushed when she felt her hair get taken down and fall down her back. A brush was then pulled through it gently, and then she felt hands quickly weave their way through, braiding her hair and pinning several things in it. Finally, Finis scooted back from her. "You can look now,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Cardia gently took her hands and pulled her braid over her shoulder, gasping a bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Oh, Finis...I never knew you were good at doing hair," She breathed, staring at the emeralds and diamonds woven masterfully into her braid. They shimmered under the twinkling lights of the candles. "It's beautiful. Thank you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"You're welcome. I couldn't buy you anything fancy...but girls like their hair done so I got some fancy hair jewels and practiced." He blushed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"It looks good! You should wear it to dinner tonight!" Frankenstein suggested. Cardia nodded, and together the twins unwrapped the rest of their presents, Finis finally getting infected by the good cheer everyone had and happily opening up his own._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________After the presents were all opened, Impey went back into the kitchen to finish cooking dinner while Cardia and Finis returned to their rooms to get dressed for the dinner. Cardia took longer to get dressed than she originally would've liked, due to her hair, but after she was halfway-through getting dressed she settled on a pace she decided she liked. She put on a simple lavender dress with the same black tights and boots she wore before; the dress was shorter than she originally anticipated and she blushed a bit. She glanced at the white butterfly hair-pin Van had given her and briefly considered putting it in, but then realized it might ruin Finis' braid. With a sigh, she placed the pin with her other accessories on her vanity._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Once she was dressed, she followed the smell of delicious food and sat herself down at the dining room table, next to Finis who was wearing his usual brown suit. She blushed heavily and held her chest, recalling how he had kissed her by the banks of the river in that very outfit. He had stolen her first kiss. No, he had already done that long before all of this had even happened....but he had still stolen it, nonetheless._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"The food smells delicious! What did you make?" Frankenstein praised nicely as Impey and Van served everyone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"All kinds of goodies! Turkey and ham and mashed potatoes and green beans and casseroles and rolls and cranberry sauce and macaroni and cheese...and that's just to name a few!" Impey announced in an energetic tone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"You absolute madman, we'll all get fat in one day if we eat all of that!" Lupin scolded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Cardia simply giggled as she started to serve herself. It all sounded so good, and if it was cooked by Impey, then she knew it tasted as good as it smelled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Cardia-chan, why aren’t you wearing your hair pin?” Van asked sternly, staring at her from the other side of the table._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I wanted to, but as I tried to put it in I realized it would’ve messed up Finis’ braid....he worked so hard on it,” She pouted a bit, setting down her silverware. “I can wear it tomorrow!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“No, it’s fine. I see your thought process,” Without another word, Van started to eat his food, making Cardia frown and pick at her food uneasily. Van was such an enigma to her; she could never truly tell what he was thinking even now. She felt as though she had made him angry somehow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Your food...is actually edible,” Finis said in amazement, his eyes widened. “I never would’ve expected that of someone like you,”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Hey! I’m a fantastic cook! It's one of my many special talents!” Impey gasped in offense as the others giggled softly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Yes, we’re all very happy we have at least one competent cook in the house,” Frankenstein continued, which made everyone giggle more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I can’t believe this! I’m being betrayed by my own friends!” Impey carried on. “What hope do I have of ever becoming a true ladies’ man?!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Lupin-kun seems to have you in that regard as well,” Cardia added. She smiled at their reaction, stiffening at the feeling of a foreign hand grabbing her stockened thigh. Her skirt was short...far too short for that sort of thing. She continued to awkwardly eat, shifting her position as she shot an icy glare at Finis._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Definitely not here. Definitely not now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Somehow, the rest of the dinner went off without any other problems, and the group all seemed to sigh collectively when the twins announced their plan to leave for Wales earlier that next morning._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Are you sure you can’t stay for even another day?” Frankenstein coaxed. Cardia shook her head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“We have too much to do at home, I’ve realized....” She sighed. “But I thoroughly appreciated this invitation. This has easily been the best Christmas of my life,”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Besides, she's not my hostage. She can send letters to you whenever she wants. She’s even allowed to visit you whenever she pleases,” Finis crossed his arms in front of his chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"As I said, we've been busy." Cardia confirmed with a nod. Sisi wagged his tail at her, barking sadly. "Although...I really do miss Sisi when I'm gone..."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Say no more," Lupin winked, but didn't make any further comments._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"You've had a long day anyway. You two should rest up," Van interjected, nodding at Cardia. Cardia gently picked Sisi up and headed back into her bedroom, shutting the door. She gazed at her presents on top of her bed and gently set Sisi down, going over to her mirror to look at her appearance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________How did Finis get so good at doing hair like that? He never changed his own style, yet her hair was woven and twisted and twirled into such fine curls and locks to braid the strands in place. The jewels still sparkled, matching her twinkling eyes. She wondered if they were real or not and blushed as she ran her hand through her braid._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Finis truly was a man of many talents, it seemed. She glanced back at the airship blueprints Impey had given her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She knew the perfect man for the job._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________##########_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________After returning home to Wales, Cardia kept better contact with her friends, and soon their small manor was filled with daily letters from each separate member. Finis kept a better eye on his servant as well; whenever Cardia wanted something, it was immediately hers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Some of the stuff she received, however, were all gifts from Finis himself. Soon her closet was full of grand dresses and shoes, all with their own matching accessory sets. Many of them she knew she would never wear in her lifetime. He even gave her a female Corgi named Missi with a clover on her side, though he claimed it was actually Lupin who helped him pick it out. It all made her feel very confused. Finis was just her brother...yet he treated her like a queen. She knew he harbored dangerous feelings for her, feelings she herself could never begin to hope to understand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She put a hand on her own heart._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Feelings she was starting to gain herself, she suddenly realized._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________#########_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Let's go for a ride," Finis suggested eagerly to her one afternoon once they had finished the airship. She blinked a bit in surprise as she snuggled with Missi on the couch. The snow had only just melted. If they went up too high, the wiring might freeze._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Finis," She begun, but still he didn't budge. He was dressed in his old biohazard suit from all that time ago; it been a year and a half at that point._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Come on, it'll be fun!" He insisted, pulling her off the couch impatiently. "Come on, go get dressed already!" He bounced on the soles of his feet, huffing. Cardia stared at him for a moment before she shuffled off to her bedroom, getting dressed in her old brown suit. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and blushed a bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Finis respected her wishes by keeping the outfit in her closet, but it was fairly obvious what his actual tastes were. Not a single outfit of hers purchased by him had pants. She spun around in the mirror slightly, still eyeing herself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It wouldn't be very safe to go up in an airship in her old hazmat dress, but perhaps there was some way she could combine them? She pulled the dress out of her closet and kicked off her boots, slipping on the thigh-highs and carefully buckling them. With a sigh, she picked up some scissors and tore through the waist of the dress, making the lacy skirt fall onto the floor. She messily sewed it onto her belt, fluffing it out so it trailed behind her and around her like a hoopskirt. She then took off her hat and put a simple gold rose decoration in her hair, then hurried out of the bedroom._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Here I am!" She smiled nicely, folding her hands in front of her. Missi yipped happily in approval and ran circles around Cardia, trying to keep her from leaving. She giggled a bit and gave the dog a quick pet, hurrying outside to find a large golden blimp tethered outside in the backyard. Finis stood beside it, his arms crossed in front of him and looking quite proud of himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"You look really....interesting," He finally commented, his eyes trailing up and down as he finally registered what she was wearing. She blushed and stepped closer to him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I don't know how to fly these though," She warned as Finis stepped inside, gently taking her hand and helping her up the steps. She nervously held her skirt up with her other hand so it wouldn't get caught when the door finally sealed shut._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"That's what I'm here for," He reassured her, heading over to the control panel._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The blimp they built was fairly small; one-roomed with a control panel and emergency materials. But Cardia found herself smiling anyway. It was just the two of them, after all. And the space was a bit tight, so they'd have to get even closer together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Go put on a parachute, Big Sister," Finis commented as he pushed a few green buttons. "In case something happens. Or do you like the thought of becoming street bread?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________That thought made her shudder, so she quickly scooted over and pulled a white backpack out of the storage closet, holding it in her hands slightly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Here," Finis sighed, walking over and taking the backpack from her, pulling her arms out and slipping the straps over onto her back smoothly. She blushed, her heartbeat starting to quicken. "Now you won't die," He slipped on his own and hurried back over to the control panel, gently steering a golden steering wheel in the middle of the room. Cardia surmised that was to operate the blimp similarly to a train._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She walked over to the giant row of windows and stared down, her stomach in her throat. She blinked in awe. The countryside looked like a large blanket of grass, dotted with little colourful dots. Were those flowers? No, they were far too small to even be seen at that altitude. They must've been people, or vehicles, or even other buildings._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The blimp lurched slightly and she stumbled, accidentally catching her shoes on her skirt and falling over, wincing in pain as she hit the steel floor. The blimp lurched again, this time slightly to the left, and Cardia found herself trying to dig her gloved nails into the floor. She stared up at Finis, who was calmly steering the blimp with a smirk._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Finis, you said you knew how to drive it!" She scolded, very slowly standing up and walking over, feeling woozy. She placed her hand on Finis', making them both blush. "Want to teach me now?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He nodded slowly. "Sure. Just don't crash it, Big Sister,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She rolled her eyes a bit and slowly placed her hands on the wheel, tightening her grip on either side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Stupid, not that far. Place your hands closer to each other," Finis piped up in a scolding tone, taking her wrists and moving them closer on the wheel. Cardia's heart thumped more and her breath caught in her throat suddenly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Like this?" She whispered, though she already knew the answer. She kept a steady rhythm in turning it, noticing Finis' hands still hadn't left hers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Yeah." He smiled. "Nice to know you aren't as useless as you look,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Why do you keep insulting me?" She suddenly questioned. "You obviously care a lot about me, care for me...dote on me...you even love me in both a brotherly and romantic way. So why?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Old habits die hard," He shrugged. "Besides...you really are kind of stupid, Big Sister," He hugged her from behind, running his hands down her body. She blushed even more and steadied her grip on the blimp._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"This is actually a lot of fun!" She found herself gasping. "Can I turn it? Can I make it spin?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I have an even better idea," Finis shook his head, gently pulling Cardia's hands off the wheel. She waited for him to take it back, only to blink when the steering wheel remained manless and the ship started to tip over onto its side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Finis...?" She felt her smile start to fade as he kicked open the door with his foot, making the latch fall open. "Finis....!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I want to ask you something!" He yelled over the roaring wind, grabbing Cardia's hand and jumping right out of the latch, pulling Cardia close to his body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Finis! Finis! No! We'll both die! You'll die! You're not immortal anymore! Stop it!" She managed to scream over the rush of the cool wind roaring all around them, blowing her skirt up crazily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"And this is why you're stupid, Big Sister. Please stop with that annoying screaming," He pulled the stopper off their parachutes and Cardia choked in surprise when her fall was suddenly halted and she slowed. Her heart hammered loudly in her ears and she tightened her grip on Finis' hands, burying her face in his chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The ground was still approaching them, she knew, and the height was already so dizzying and spinning. Her head felt light and heavy all at once, like her feet had anchors but her head had wings._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Big Sister," Finis ran a hand through her hair gently, but still she refused to look at him. "My question is...will you marry me?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"W-What?" Cardia found herself asking in shock. "Marry you?! What? And this is how you decide to ask me?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Finis simply planted a kiss on her lips, mumbling any further complaints of hers. "Big Sister?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Fine! I'll marry you! But you're crazy for doing this!" She kissed him back, placing her hands on his face. They were still falling slower, and Cardia braved a peek and saw the ground was closer to them; only a few more minutes of floating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Look, you're so happy, Big Sister. It's like walking on air for you," He teased, and Cardia felt herself blush and wrestle herself out of his grip. Instead she held onto the straps of her parachute._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"What about the blimp? Oh, Finis, you're so crazy," She tried to scold him, out-of-breath. Her feet landed softly on the ground and she crumpled up from the stress, her parachute cushioning her fall. Finis landed on top of her and gave her another kiss._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Crazy is better than boring though. Being crazy suits us monsters, right?" He smirked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"It suits monsters, not dolls. And we're dolls now, Finis," She smiled weakly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________##########_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________They had no priest, but Saint-Germain was willing to fill in as the position; evidently he had gotten a license to do so at some point in his life. Cardia didn't question it. She was done questioning such things and she had already learned one could live as many years as Saint-Germain had and still never learn everything about him. Hansel also attended to serve as witness. Cardia thought about inviting her friends, but the ink bled into the paper and she tossed it away from how long she humored that thought._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________What they were doing was wrong anyway; and they'd likely hear about it from Saint-Germain in due time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She nervously glanced at the engagement ring on her finger; a simple gold ring set in diamond with a large emerald in the center. She wore no gloves; only a simple gold bracelet on her left wrist. Underneath her gown were lacy white stockings and a light pink lingerie set along with pink kitten heels topped with a little bow on the back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Are you ready?" Hansel asked awkwardly. She nodded, looking away from the mirror. She held her arm out for Hansel, who gingerly took it and walked her out of the house and down the floral path she had constructed just that morning for that very event. A small flowery arch was set up at the end of their yard, where Finis and Saint-Germain were waiting. She could tell even from that distance that her brother was blushing, and who wouldn't after seeing her gown?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It had a large hoopskirt with several layers over it; each one sheerer than the last to bring out the golden flowers embroidered on it. The same flowers were also embroidered onto her bodice and waist, while the actual dress was off-sleeve to expose her milky skin. The gown was tinted a pale dusty pink that she wore with matching pink earrings and a small gold ribbon around her neck. Her hair had been done up in a fanciful bun pinned back with a pink pearl and rose pin; done by Finis of course. Her bouquet was encrusted with pearls and jewels nestled next to real pink roses that smelled lovely. Cardia tightened her grip on the bouquet as she finally reached the end of the aisle. Hansel nodded at her and let Finis take her hands as she blushed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________There was no music; just the sounds of spring birds tweeting in the air above them. Cardia felt her face flush happily as Saint-Germain begun to read them the vows._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I never knew Big Sister could clean up so well," Finis smirked at her, wearing an embroidered gold suit with pink rose appliques; almost a reverse of her own outfit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I could say the same of you," She pouted a bit as Saint-Germain finished reading the vows._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Do you two take each other to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you two shall live?" He read off, a mysterious smile forming on his features. The twins nodded. "Do you take Cardia Beckford to be your lawfully-wedded wife?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I do!" Finis nodded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Do you take Finis Beckford to be your lawfully-wedded husband?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I do." Cardia blushed more, thinking her pinkish blush would look nice set against the dusty pink of her gown._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Then you two may now kiss." Saint-Germain stepped back slightly as Cardia daintily bent down and shared her kiss with Finis, closing her eyes. Despite all the previous times they had kissed, this time it had felt...different. He tasted like strawberry lemonade and chocolate. The birds continued to tweet overhead, and somewhere a creek babbled. There was the low hum of an airship somewhere in the far distance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She finally pulled away, smiling and blushing. Was she glowing? She didn't know, but she did feel like she was floating. Floating up above the yard, above the arch, above the trees, possibly even above the clouds. She was floatable; radiant; glowing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Oh! This means we'll have an extra room that's free! Won't that be nice?" Cardia asked Finis happily to break the silence, making him blush at the implication. "We could make it another study, or an office for you, or a guest room, or a...."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"So, you two are married." Saint-Germain commented, smiling at them in that mysterious way of his._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Yes," Cardia nodded slowly. They had no rings to show for it, just the ceremony, its witness, and their love. But they knew it was for the best._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I'm sure the others won't be very happy about that,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"They would be happy that I married someone I loved. They may continue to love me if they choose, but I can only see them as my friends, saviors and teachers." Cardia frowned a bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Their whole goal was to keep you from getting stolen away by Twilight," He continued._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Your whole goal was to kill us!" Finis snapped. "Which you failed at. Nice to see you can't even do the one thing you were supposed to do correctly,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Well, I really must be off. Long trip back to London and all." Saint-Germain smiled as he motioned for Hansel to follow him. The boy took a final glance at the twins before going on his own way. Finis held Cardia's arm protectively._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"What should we have for our wedding feast?" She asked nicely after they had left._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Cake and candy and brownies and parfaits! And strawberry lemonade with sweet tea!" Finis immediately rattled off, stars in his eyes. Cardia smiled a bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________And so, that was their wedding feast. Missi even got to have a bit of fun with some ripe strawberries being placed into her bowl, making her yip and wag her tail with pleasure. Cardia smiled happily, dancing around the house._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The consummation that followed afterwards was slow and awkward and was mainly done in the dark, the twins too afraid to see the evidence of their forbidden affair. Still, Cardia found herself touched by the soft touches and gentle kisses and slow motions Finis had for her. She wrapped her arms around him as he ran a hand through her hair to relax her. She called out his name just as her head fell back on the pillow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Even then, he still smelled like chocolate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________#####_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Finis..." She sighed slightly one morning, both of her hands on her heart. He didn't look up from his book, assuming she was about to tell him something non-important. Missi lay curled up in his lap, eagerly wagging her tail upon spotting Cardia. "Finis....I.....I'm late.." She admitted softly, looking away from him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________His book hit the floor loudly while Missi jumped out of his lap, yipping in annoyance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Finis?" She commented as he stormed up to her and tightly grabbed her wrist, making her wince. "Finis...please..."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Are you sure? You're not trying to pull some kind of prank on me, are you, Big Sister?" He asked lowly, smirking a bit. She shook her head. He laughed drily as he let go of her. "This is my curse then....bring even more monsters into this world. Perfect..." He continued to laugh, holding his chest. "If anything, I hope the beauty of their mother shines through." He then stormed off, slamming the front door shut. Cardia sighed, holding her wrist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________######_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She had gotten sick. Damn it, she had gotten sick and it wasn't even pregnancy sickness. Somehow, Finis knew she had gotten sick with something else, something dangerous, something that was also making his own stomach churn. Of course she would though. She was a pretty stupid big sister. His own stomach turned as he cut-up pieces of fruit and mashed them into a juice, pouring the juice into a mix that already has water, sugar, and salt in it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Stupid Big Sister..." He mumbled to himself. Missi dove in to lick up some bananas that he accidentally dropped on the floor. He stirred the solution together, then slowly walked into their bedroom, finding Cardia awake but staring listlessly up at the ceiling. Her eyes were blank and sunken-in. The room carried the strong smell of fish. He winced a bit as he gently shook her to get her attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Mm...?" She started to close her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Big Sister, drink this. It'll make you feel better. Trust me," He coaxed, holding the glass out to her. In honesty, he had only scoured every medical and science book he could find for any disease that had symptoms resembling Cardia's. Once he learned what it was, that was the solution suggested. He had no idea if it'd work or not, but he hoped it did. It genuinely pained him to see Cardia so weak and blank, especially while two-months along with their child._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Cardia simply blinked and looked away, moaning softly. Finis stepped closer to the bed, wincing as he felt his stomach give a violent churn. He pulled a spoon out from his sleeve and scooped a fruit chunk onto it, leaning over and gently feeding it to her. To his delight, she managed to swallow it down without choking. He fed her a few more bites before she closed her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Mmm...." Finis placed the mixture on her bedside table, but loosened the blankets around her legs and waist so she would be able to move around better. Her usual blue jewels had been swapped out for pink jewels to match her dusty pink slip; she hadn't known she was ill at the time. Now the slip had been stained with watery vomit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He finally dared to gently kiss her forehead, brushing some loose hairs from her braid out of her clammy face. He silently walked out of the room, feeling his legs cramp up slightly as he gave a gasp of pain and leaned against the wall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"W-What...?" He demanded, feeling his stomach churn again. He gripped the wall tightly as he felt his balance starting to fade and he slid down the wall slightly. Missi rushed over, barking in concern. "Oh no...Stupid Big Sister..." He mumbled to himself as he finally fell to his knees, clutching his stomach tightly. He covered his mouth, already knowing it wouldn't make much of a difference. When the vomit hit the floor, Missi dashed around, barking loudly. "She...got...me...sick.....stupid.. ..." He felt as though his energy had been sapped from him as he finally fainted, the world around him going black._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________######_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Why could he feel cold hands on his forehead...? Why could he feel such cold things poking and prodding his body; not unkindly, yet still strangely? Why did he taste the faintness of a banana? Why did that damn man's damn mysterious smile keep appearing in his mind as he slept?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"You will live," The owner of the cold hands and mysterious smile reassured him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He didn't care if he lived or not. What about Cardia? Was she still okay?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________No sound came out of his mouth, he was certain, but the man still nodded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Cardia-chan is perfectly fine. Her illness has passed."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The child...._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Oh, Cardia-chan is with child? How very interesting."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Damn it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"We are sure the child will be fine as well. She isn't too far along, and she seems to have made a full recovery anyway,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Finis felt his eyes starting to close, which he welcomed. That man was getting on his nerves._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________When he awoke again, the man was gone, and Finis found himself unable to recall anyone else even being there at all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________#######_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The two were blessed with two identical twin girls; they had their father's light blonde hair and the emerald eyes of both of their parents. Cardia smiled happily at the two daughters in her arms, wrapping them up in white blankets._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"They're beautiful...want to name them?" She asked Finis curiously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I'm bad at names. Besides, they're more of yours than mine. You can name them both," Finis crossed his arms in front of his chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Cardia pouted lightly, but decided it was better to not fight it. "Then she will be Rebecca, called Becky," She motioned to the left twin. "And she will be Sara."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"What strange names,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"They're both from a book!" Cardia feigned offense. "I hope they grow up to be as close as us,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Maybe...not as close. But...yes. They should cherish each other's company," Finis sighed and brushed some hair out of Sara's face. "They have the beauty of their mother,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________########_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Don't go too far!" Cardia gasped as she watched the girls play, keeping them confined in the expansive yard. She sat on a bench and gently pet Missi, who wagged her tail from the attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Hmph. I can do whatever I want!" Becky called, wearing a pinstriped blue suit. Her hair was up in pigtails. "You can't watch me forever!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sara winced a bit, remaining close to her mother in a soft pink pinafore and white dress, a pink bow pinned back her curls. "You might...run into...the fence!" She warned Becky._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I know my way around the backyard!" The nine-year-old insisted, though she did take a few steps back from her current position. Her dully-coloured eyes blinked a bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"When will Daddy be back?" Sara asked nicely, making Cardia smile at her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Soon, I promise. He has some work to do," She finally let go of the Corgi and let her run around the yard, chasing Becky around._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"The dog's chasing me, isn't she? But I bet I'm faster than her!" She laughed, picking up speed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Cardia leaned back in her seat slightly. She slipped her hand into her pocket and gently fingered a letter she kept in there; a letter written by Lupin the moment Saint-Germain told them of the wedding. For some reason, it comforted her to have it so close to her. Sometimes she even slept with it; Finis remained none-the-wiser._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sometimes she even wondered why she kept it herself before shaking those thoughts out of her head. It was something only she knew, deep inside of her. It didn't have a name, yet she was sure it was a positive feeling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Becky finally hurried over to the bench, nearly running into Cardia before the brunette held her hands out and stopped her daughter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Tired of playing?" She asked, noticing the blonde was already winded. Becky nodded a bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Do you still have those wooden boats Papa made for us? We could take a bowl of water out here and make them sail on it!" She asked eagerly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Yes! Did you want to do that now?" Cardia asked nicely, clasping her hands together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Please!" Becky bounced up and down in excitement. Cardia smiled to herself and headed back inside, soon coming back with a large glass container filled with warm salt water. Two wooden boats, painted white, floated on top. She gently set it down on the grass._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"There you go,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Becky sat down next to it and instantly started splashing, making large puddles of mud form around the container. "I'm going to make my boat fly!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"You're getting water everywhere..." Sara sighed, dipping hers in and out of the water. Missi bounded over and tried to lick the water up from the tub, making the twins gasp._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"What? What is she doing?" Becky asked in confusion while Sara gently scolded her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"No Missi! That water isn't for you!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Cardia giggled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I'm home," Finis responded dully, dressed in his light green summer suit. The girls gasped eagerly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Daddy!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Papa!" They hugged him happily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"How was your day at work?" Cardia asked nicely. "Any interesting customers come in, asking for an airship?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Not really," He shrugged. "Why are the girls all wet?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"We were playing with our wooden ships!" Becky announced proudly. "I was making mine fly!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"She was splashing water everywhere," Sara sighed, more to herself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Cardia giggled again and started to clean up the mess left-over from the boats. She quickly placed a hand in her pocket to check the letter, only to catch herself sighing in relief when it came out dry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Why did she even care so much?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She shook her head again and carried the toys back inside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________##########_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________...Cardia stood in the graveyard, tightly clutching a bouquet of flowers. Her hair was been messily braided through with summer flowers; it looked messy because she had insisted on doing it herself for once. She had swapped out her usual choice of attire for a light pink sweater set with a floral print skirt. She didn't look much older than fifteen or sixteen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________After she took a deep breath, she bent down and gently placed he flowers on one of the graves, the one that sported the name of Arseine Lupin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Are you done? We've been here forever," Finis complained, wincing as a car loudly drove by. Cardia looked up at him, then back down at the graves. He walked over and ran a hand through her hair. "You knew this would happen. You and I, we're not made to mix with normal humans,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I know..." Cardia nodded quietly, staring at the other graves. Saint-Germain didn't have one, even more proof that he was a supernatural being, but all the others had graves. They _had _died long ago, after all.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"We're immortals. Time will end before our own lives," Finis snapped his fingers and Sara and Becky ran over eagerly, clamoring about their birthday party later that day._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Can our cake be chocolate? It's my favourite!" Sara asked happily, making Cardia look over with a small smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Of course it'll be chocolate. Just keep it away from your papa, okay?" She teased, making the girls giggle and Finis glare at her. "How old are you two turning?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Thirteen." Becky answered, starting to walk ahead of the family._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Yes! You two are growing up into adults!" Cardia praised, taking the hands of her daughters and starting to walk away from the graves. They had been 'thirteen' for the past decade, but nobody had been the wiser. Only Cardia and Finis knew their true ages._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"We got you a lot of presents too," Finis added, hurrying to catch up with them. "You'll like them, trust me." He gave Cardia a small smile, and Cardia's own smile widened._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"I don't need you to hold my hand," Becky huffed, pulling away from Cardia. Even now she was dressed in a brown overall suit with a matching hat, her hair cut short in a bob._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Yes you do," Cardia frowned a bit. "You are going to run off,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Sara tightened her own grip on Cardia's hand. "I'm still here, Mommy,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"I'm not going to run off," Becky pouted, continuing to stare straight ahead. "I'm older now, I don't do stuff like that anymore,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Well, you know how careful your papa and I have to be..." Cardia trailed off, not about to mention Becky's disability. They were all perfectly aware she had been born blind; they didn't need to remind her of that fact._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________The family of four walked away from the graveyard, leaving the bouquet of flowers there. Soon the breeze picked up and turned into a stronger gust of wind, blowing the ribbon apart and scattering some flowers on the wind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________######_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Every month Cardia would return and place more flowers on those graves, even when the bombs fell down on her city, even when the economy plummeted and the graves started to become neglected, even when the new millennium dawned. Even when nobody knew her name anymore and just called her 'the ghost in the graveyard'. A girl with flowery jewels braided in her hair, who somehow looked both modern and timeless all at once, who never seemed to age past sixteen despite how much time had passed. Every month, every year, every decade, she was there, even when nobody remembered who the graves were even more. And even when the graveyard was relocated to make room for a new shopping mall; she placed the flowers on the steps of the store._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________The ghost in the graveyard was there without fail, even when her own husband and children died and she had to leave flowers on their own respective graves._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Now the ghost in the graveyard wandered through modern London, sunglasses on her head and her hair in a messy bun. Now she looked like a completely normal twenty-year-old woman, one you would expect to find in London in this day and age._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________As she walked, she balanced a bouquet of roses in her arms along with her pink cellphone, which was attached to her belt. As she reached the store, she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder and she briefly turned around to see who it was, only to have her eyes widen in shock._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Mademoiselle, I have returned to steal your heart,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________The ghost in the graveyard happily lept into the stranger's arms once more, the roses falling on the street._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
